Surat : Workshop held to Uphold Rights of Waste Collection Workers in Gujarat

Surat : The Centre for Labour Research and Action, in collaboration with Rosa Luxembourg Stiftung, hosted a pivotal dissemination workshop on the plight of door-to-door waste collection workers in Ahmedabad, Surat, and Gandhinagar in Gujarat.

The workshop was held at the Centre for Social Studies, Surat drawing together an array of stakeholders to deliberate on the labor rights of these workers on Friday.

The primary agenda was to present the study’s findings and instigate a dialogue among concerned stakeholders regarding the pressing issues faced by waste management workers. Gagan Sahu, Acting Director of CSS, chaired the session, orchestrating a discourse that involved 50 participants representing a diverse spectrum of stakeholders.

Among the attendees were waste collection workers from Surat and Ahmedabad, who shared their first-hand experiences, alongside officials from the Surat Municipal Corporation and the Labour Department. Notably present were representatives from various trade unions, including Sujit Pathak from All India Trade Union Congress, Amrish Patel from Gujarat Federation Of Trade Union, and Pavar Lakhan from Paschim Bharat Majdur Adhikar Manch, who offered their perspectives on the matter.

Adding depth to the discussions were key figures from organizations actively engaged in supporting waste management workers. Naishadh Desai from Shramjivi Sevalaya, Samir Macwan, Father Rajeev from Navsarjan Trust, Chandrashekhar Deshmukh, Prasad Adhav from Pratham, Mahesh Pandya from Paryavaran Mitra, Priti Joshi from Rashtriya Kishore Swasthya Karyakram, and Shailey Bansal from Innovate4India shared invaluable experiences and insights from their respective organizations.

The participation of representatives from Om Swachata Corporation, holding the tender for door-to-door waste collection in Surat and Ahmedabad, added a crucial dimension to the dialogue.

Central to the discussion was the urgency to organize and advocate for the rights of waste management workers in Gujarat. Participants stressed the need to address immediate challenges faced by these workers, emphasizing the issuance of identification cards and integration into existing schemes to alleviate their immediate concerns.

The workshop concluded with a unanimous call for collaborative efforts among organizations to champion the cause of these workers, underscoring the imperative to work collectively towards advocating and safeguarding the rights of waste management laborers across Gujarat.